The Verve

The Verve was among the best of the Britpop bands of the ‘90s. The group proved this early on, building its swirling mix of psychedelia and shoegaze out of frontman Richard Ashcroft’s shamanic charisma and guitarist Nick McCabe’s cosmic six-string squall. The massive sound and success of 1997’s Urban Hymns and “Bitter Sweet Symphony” solidified it. Coming together in 1990, in Wigan, The Verve first dove into long jam sessions that alchemised into 1993’s spacey odyssey A Storm in Heaven. The band’s sweeping alt-rock, boosted by Ashcroft’s poignant songwriting, began to take shape on 1995’s A Northern Soul. After a brief breakup, The Verve returned with a vengeance on Urban Hymns, making its grand universal anthems a vital blueprint for the next wave of British rock—only to split again. A surprise reunion, which included 2008’s triumphant Forth, contained all of The Verve’s key ingredients: big guitars, bold statements, and a climactic ending.